The Russian missile cruiser Moskva in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Syria, in December.
Max Delany / AFP / Getty Images
Russia will begin pulling most of its military out from Syria, having completed its "fundamental goals" in the war-torn country, President Vladimir Putin announced Monday.
In a statement, the Kremlin announced Moscow will begin withdrawing the main body of its air force from Syria, but will keep a military presence in the country to guarantee compliance with the ongoing ceasefire and "ensure aviation security."
Putin telephoned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Monday to discuss Russia's campaign of airstrikes in Syria, which first began in earnest in September. The two leaders were said to have agreed Russia's air force had radically changed the fight against "terrorism" in the country, by inflicting significant damage on jihadist infrastructure. Both countries generally refer to all opposition to the Syrian regime, include those supported by the United States and other Western nations.
"With this in mind, the President of Russia stated that the fundamental tasks set before the Armed Forces of Russia in Syria were resolved," the Kremlin said.
"I think that the tasks set to the defense ministry are generally fulfilled. That is why I order to begin withdrawal of most of our military group from Syria starting from tomorrow," Putin said at a meeting with his defense and foreign ministers, according to the state-run news agency TASS.
Michael Klimentyev / AFP / Getty Images
Assad was said to have thanked Putin for the "professionalism, courage, and heroism" of Russian personnel, according to the Kremlin.
The two leaders credited Moscow's intervention in Syria with "a sharp reduction in the scale of the bloodshed in the country, [and] improving the humanitarian situation."
"It was [also] possible to create conditions for the start of the peace process under the aegis of the UN," the Kremlin said.
Russian jets began bombing Syria on Sept. 30 last year, just hours after the parliament voted unanimously in favor of the mission.
At the time, Putin said the airstrikes were designed to help Assad's offensive in Syria, but warned Russia would not "plunge into this conflict head-on."
In December, Amnesty International said Russian airstrikes had killed hundreds of civilians and damaged or destroyed hospitals.
In January, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the civilian death toll from Russian bombs was at least 1,015.
A man sprays water on an ambulance at a site hit by what activists said were three consecutive air strikes carried out by the Russian air force in Idlib province in January.
Khalil Ashawi / Reuters
In February, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev rejected the accusations as untrue.
"There is no evidence of our bombing civilians, even though everyone is accusing us of this," Medvedev told a security conference in Munich. "Russia is not trying to achieve some secret goals in Syria. We are simply trying to protect our national interests," he said.
In February, diplomats negotiated a "cessation of hostilities" in Syria. Last week, both the Syrian regime and opposition groups agreed to send delegations to Geneva for a fresh round of peace talks.
Victor Stepanov contributed to this report.
LINK: Amnesty: Russian Airstrikes In Syria Have Killed At Least 200 Civilians
LINK: Russia Launches Airstrikes In Syria
LINK: Russia Is Bombing Syria's Children — These Are Their Stories
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